Two percent of the general population in the United States (U.S.) has slow or non-healing wounds (i.e., chronic wounds). Chronic wounds allow longer time for the development of infections and can contribute to the formation of bed sores and ulcers.
A common comorbid condition with chronic wounds is diabetes mellitus (diabetes). One of the most debilitating complications of chronic wounds in diabetics is the development of chronic foot ulcers. Chronic foot ulcers can necessitate limb amputation, with 50,000-60,000 performed on diabetic patients in the U.S. each year.
Another area where chronic wounds in diabetics create an acute problem is in nursing homes where diabetics are at higher risk of getting bed sores and pressure ulcers. It is estimated that 60,000 patients die each year as a direct result of a pressure ulcer.
Many diabetics also suffer from diabetic neuropathies, a type of nerve damage most often observed in the legs and feet. Patients with diabetes may have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), which usually coexists with neuropathy. When this occurs feet are described as neuroischaemic. Recently the incidence of neuroischaemic ulceration has become predominant in diabetic foot clinics and also complicates wound healing.
Depending on the affected nerves, symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can range from pain and numbness in extremities to problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels, and heart. For some people, these symptoms are mild; for others, diabetic neuropathy can be painful, disabling, and even fatal.